76 STABLE MANUAL AND HORSE DOCTOR 



and 9 inches thick at the least — 13 inches are better. They 

 may be plastered or boarded, the latter the best, up to three 

 feet from the manger, and plastered above : although a 

 smooth-dressed wall is as good as either for utility. Tlie 

 stable should be lighted from above, if possible, or if it is a 

 single-headed one, from behind the horses' standings : this 

 avoids glare. If the hayloft is above, lighting from the 

 roof will of course diminish its capacity, but this is of minor 

 importance. The ceiling must be plastered, firstly, to 

 prevent the impure nitrogen and ammoniacal gases from 

 ascending to the hay and vitiating it ; and secondly, to 

 prevent the hay-seed and dust from falling into the horses' 

 eyes. White, the veterinarian, approves of an unplastered 

 tiled roof (where there is no loft above) ; but Stewart, a 

 much better authority, condemns this for any but the 

 commonest of agricultural horses. Where there is a loft 

 above, 8 to 9 feet are a good height for the ceiling ; which 

 when too lofty is cold, when too low requires draughts and 

 currents to too great an extent to be safe for the horses' 

 lungs and skin. Where there is no loft, the height should 

 be greater, or the stable ceiled, otherwise the tiles and 

 slates will make the stable an oven in summer, and snow 

 on the roof convert it into an ice-house in winter. 



The importance, then, of avoiding sudden and extreme 

 alternations of heat and cold must be one of the points 

 studied in the construction of a healthy stable. It must, 

 however, be admitted that the renewal of the air in a 

 stable is indispensable to the well-being of the inmates ; 

 and the question is — how this can best be effected. 



Pure air, then (and, as an accessory, cleanliness), being a 

 prime necessity to the health of domesticated animals, those 

 who desire a healthy steed will see to these most important 

 points. As a simple mode of attaining a full supply of pure 

 air, two sets of apertures are necessary : one set in the 

 upper part of the stable, for the escape of the impure and 

 heated air ; another close to the floor, to admit the pure 

 and unexhausted air. These latter openings must be so 

 contrived that the air on entering shall not be directed in a 

 current on any part of the horses, but diffuse itself gradually 

 throughout the stable. The same rule must be observed 

 in the upper ventilating apertures ; and, as the air which 

 has been expired ascends in a direction perpendicular to 

 the horizon, these apertures should be placed upright 



